Cost of living.
Feb 11th 2013, 11:45 pm
#122
She'll be right
Joined: Sep 2012
Location: Near the beach, NZ
Posts: 1,498
Re: Cost of living.
Presume your responding to me as I cannot see any other user that has 1983 as their username
Right, here goes
It all totally depends on your circumstances. My wife was working as a health care assistant with UCLH in the childrens ward. Not quite her dream job (nurse in a childrens ward is what she wants to do), but very close. She was really happy
When I told her about a position available in Christchurch, she said just go for it and see what happens. She probably didn't think i'd get the job. When the interviews, discussions etc kept happening, she had a funny feeling that I was going to be offered the position. We had a very very long chat when the offer came and as we only live life once, we thought give it a go. Would we regret it if I turned it down, more than likely.
The best site for you to get your wife on is the Canterbury District Health Board and look at the careers available there. I believe there's only one, perhaps two child units in Christchurch so she'll do well to get a position there.
Can I ask what negative experiences are you seeing of Christchurch and where abouts in England do you live? Everywhere has positive points and negative points. If someone has informed you about Linwood, Aranui, Richmond etc then ok I understand but then there's Merivale, Sumner, St Albans etc. Also there's the excitement of the new city being built - would you like being part of a city being reborn again? Yes it's going to take a while but we're both looking forward to the birth of the city again. Thats if we don't end up moving to Wellington
I'll try and be as fair as I can with the positives and negatives on Christchurch for you.
First of all negatives
Rebuild - there's a lot of disruption going on at the moment with the rebuild taking place. There's nearly the same amount of roadworks around the city as there is on the M25 and M6. The roads are quite bumpy at the moment and if you drive like the majority of the drivers here, your WOF will fail regularly. I'll give you an example, the Innes road/QE drive roundabout is very bumpy yet is an 80kmh speed limit. The amount of cars I see bumping up and down badly doesn't surprise me as they like to get to the roundabout quickly before the QE traffic to Papanui approaches.
Housing - it's a mess at the moment. Have I informed you about TradeMe? Look at real estate as well, and search rentals, houses in Christchurch. You'll probably be better off looking elsewhere and having a drive into the city. But then again it depends on your situation and where the work is. We enjoy where we are but if we could, we'd jump at the opportunity to go and move to Pegasus asap. Unfortunately it's not economical nor feasible with the wife and son situation at the moment.
No city centre - a lot of rebuild work is taking place but the city centre is almost out of bounds at the moment. They have opened a couple of streets fully now but you still cannot get round certain areas. I do believe Regent Street will be opening in March which will be good and they do hope to have other places opened before the end of the year. It'll take forever though until the whole of the centre is open again, especially for business. Google map Christchurch as it shows you the city before Mother Natures discos commenced.
I'm sure you are fully aware of what happened to Christchurch but let me tell you, it could happen anywhere in New Zealand. One thing that makes my blood boil is people being scared of Christchurch but want to go somewhere else in New Zealand. I advise you look at the site canterburyquakelive.co.nz as that'll show you a map of x amount of quakes that have taken place in New Zealand. Nowhere is free from tectonic activity. Auckland has an active volcano close by, and then there's quite a number of faults. Everyones thinking Wellington will be hit soon with a big one. Wherever in NZ you go, you are at risk of having mother natures wrath. The wife was terrified when Decembers hit (we would have been here for June had it not been for visa issues) and we generally do get some movement once maybe twice a month. There's some concern that a fault out near Akaroa may go bonkers soon which will probably hit Christchurch if Darfield was anything to go by.
People react differently to quakes. As mentioned earlier, the wife was terrified after December but now she's got used to them and infact enjoys the guess the shake size that we both play. Both of us have learned to accept them, that they're going to happen whether we like it or not. There's always a risk in life, you could get hit by a bus, lightning strike, golf ball on head etc - a risk for us being in Christchurch is that a decent quake could hit. The majority of Asia Pacific is prone to tectonic activity as its situated in the ring of fire. Did I honestly think we'd pack up and go, well had we not gone to Sydney then yes I don't think my wife could have taken having no support at the time. We were lucky that we were able to get away to Sydney and then able to come back, re focus and get our lives back together. Some people have packed up and relocated, some have stayed and accept it, some have stayed but live in fear. Part and parcel of Christchurch i'm afraid.
Now onto the positives
Christchurch will be a new city at the end of the decade and will probably be an exciting time for all. Having a city that should be safe as they are building new places etc that can withold 9.5 activity.
There is a real sense of community spirit in Christchurch since the quakes. The council and summer organisers do get a lot of activities organised for people which seem to attract plenty of audiences. We have a regular wine and food festival in December, we have a beer festival at the end of the month, we've had a buskers festival which is an enjoyable day out, we've had a classical sparks night which attracted a large audience of all ages - a sandcastle competition that attracted many. Also, it seems that many people do help out in difficult situations. I was amazed to see two youngsters help a very frail old lady up to her feet when she had a fall and stayed with her till the ambulance arrived. There does seem to be a lot of good samaritans in this country, the malaysian student where I used to live would be in shock with good samaritans in Christchurch. No chance of thieving his wallet and stuff etc. Of course this could happen anywhere but I see it regularly here compared to seeing it very rarely in London, Bournemouth. Some areas of Sheffield perhaps
Safety - I certainly feel safer here than I did back at home. People have different circumstances and unfortunately when in London, I was concerned for my safety after a few knife threats by lowlife scum because I had a suit on. Yes you do hear of crimes happening here but its low compared to your every day life. I sometimes go for a beer or two at Merivale on Fridays and plenty get quite drunk but it seems here they still have their braincells functioning when drunk. That or there's a few people in the group that aren't and have braincells functioning. From what i've seen in Merivale, if someone has had too much, the night is over for their group. Also the chavs that enjoy hanging round McDonalds are not really much of a nuisance. You're less likely to have someone wanting to pick a fight or stab you here for the fault of a bank or the word conservative.
Now here's where it'll be wise to know where you are at the moment because I would definitely rather bring up my future young ones over here than in Barking. So what about quakes, they're not going to get stabbed out here for looking at someone. Or they're not going to go round rioting and getting loonies to make excuses for them because they're bored. There's plenty of sporting activites for kids to get into and I see an awful lot participating in sport. Rugby, Netball, Cricket and FOOTBALL (whack a kiwi if they say soccer), are huge here and lots of youngsters participate. More kids these days are participating in football than rugby now. Yes of course many take advantage in the UK, but certainly from my experience in Barking and the majority of East London - I didn't see parks etc full of kids participating in sport.
Lastly and a postive +1 from me is that there are no ambulance chasing scumbags round here. The only claims where compensation firms are working at the moment are for customers that are having difficulty with their home/contents insurance policies. In my opinion it's a major reason why car insurance is cheap here - no ambulance chasers. Ok its not mandatory which is stupid but the likelihood of someone delibrately crashing into you and then ringing up national accident helpine is very low.
It is a tough one and if your living in lovely areas of UK then it is a case of will you regret it if you don't move. I've been here 16 months and I certainly don't want to go back to England. I think the wife is getting used to being here permanently now, which is a relief as I thought she'd want to go home. Of course things are tough for us at the moment but things'll hopefully get better. Unless a huge change in culture happens in the UK and I mean a huge change, we're more than likely going to remain in New Zealand - either in Christchurch or Wellington. Don't ask why but I went away for 2 days work in Wellington and fell in love with the place. The most beautiful capital in the world in my opinion, beats Edinburgh and Dublin.
Good luck with whatever decision you decide to make. Just remember though, you can read every single horror story about the place but you might think differently. People have different opinions on everything but your experience will be different to everyone elses. You may fall in love with the place and be glad you made the move, or you may regret the move and go back. But at least you can say i've tried it and it won't be one of lifes regrets.
Right, here goes
It all totally depends on your circumstances. My wife was working as a health care assistant with UCLH in the childrens ward. Not quite her dream job (nurse in a childrens ward is what she wants to do), but very close. She was really happy
When I told her about a position available in Christchurch, she said just go for it and see what happens. She probably didn't think i'd get the job. When the interviews, discussions etc kept happening, she had a funny feeling that I was going to be offered the position. We had a very very long chat when the offer came and as we only live life once, we thought give it a go. Would we regret it if I turned it down, more than likely.
The best site for you to get your wife on is the Canterbury District Health Board and look at the careers available there. I believe there's only one, perhaps two child units in Christchurch so she'll do well to get a position there.
Can I ask what negative experiences are you seeing of Christchurch and where abouts in England do you live? Everywhere has positive points and negative points. If someone has informed you about Linwood, Aranui, Richmond etc then ok I understand but then there's Merivale, Sumner, St Albans etc. Also there's the excitement of the new city being built - would you like being part of a city being reborn again? Yes it's going to take a while but we're both looking forward to the birth of the city again. Thats if we don't end up moving to Wellington
I'll try and be as fair as I can with the positives and negatives on Christchurch for you.
First of all negatives
Rebuild - there's a lot of disruption going on at the moment with the rebuild taking place. There's nearly the same amount of roadworks around the city as there is on the M25 and M6. The roads are quite bumpy at the moment and if you drive like the majority of the drivers here, your WOF will fail regularly. I'll give you an example, the Innes road/QE drive roundabout is very bumpy yet is an 80kmh speed limit. The amount of cars I see bumping up and down badly doesn't surprise me as they like to get to the roundabout quickly before the QE traffic to Papanui approaches.
Housing - it's a mess at the moment. Have I informed you about TradeMe? Look at real estate as well, and search rentals, houses in Christchurch. You'll probably be better off looking elsewhere and having a drive into the city. But then again it depends on your situation and where the work is. We enjoy where we are but if we could, we'd jump at the opportunity to go and move to Pegasus asap. Unfortunately it's not economical nor feasible with the wife and son situation at the moment.
No city centre - a lot of rebuild work is taking place but the city centre is almost out of bounds at the moment. They have opened a couple of streets fully now but you still cannot get round certain areas. I do believe Regent Street will be opening in March which will be good and they do hope to have other places opened before the end of the year. It'll take forever though until the whole of the centre is open again, especially for business. Google map Christchurch as it shows you the city before Mother Natures discos commenced.
I'm sure you are fully aware of what happened to Christchurch but let me tell you, it could happen anywhere in New Zealand. One thing that makes my blood boil is people being scared of Christchurch but want to go somewhere else in New Zealand. I advise you look at the site canterburyquakelive.co.nz as that'll show you a map of x amount of quakes that have taken place in New Zealand. Nowhere is free from tectonic activity. Auckland has an active volcano close by, and then there's quite a number of faults. Everyones thinking Wellington will be hit soon with a big one. Wherever in NZ you go, you are at risk of having mother natures wrath. The wife was terrified when Decembers hit (we would have been here for June had it not been for visa issues) and we generally do get some movement once maybe twice a month. There's some concern that a fault out near Akaroa may go bonkers soon which will probably hit Christchurch if Darfield was anything to go by.
People react differently to quakes. As mentioned earlier, the wife was terrified after December but now she's got used to them and infact enjoys the guess the shake size that we both play. Both of us have learned to accept them, that they're going to happen whether we like it or not. There's always a risk in life, you could get hit by a bus, lightning strike, golf ball on head etc - a risk for us being in Christchurch is that a decent quake could hit. The majority of Asia Pacific is prone to tectonic activity as its situated in the ring of fire. Did I honestly think we'd pack up and go, well had we not gone to Sydney then yes I don't think my wife could have taken having no support at the time. We were lucky that we were able to get away to Sydney and then able to come back, re focus and get our lives back together. Some people have packed up and relocated, some have stayed and accept it, some have stayed but live in fear. Part and parcel of Christchurch i'm afraid.
Now onto the positives
Christchurch will be a new city at the end of the decade and will probably be an exciting time for all. Having a city that should be safe as they are building new places etc that can withold 9.5 activity.
There is a real sense of community spirit in Christchurch since the quakes. The council and summer organisers do get a lot of activities organised for people which seem to attract plenty of audiences. We have a regular wine and food festival in December, we have a beer festival at the end of the month, we've had a buskers festival which is an enjoyable day out, we've had a classical sparks night which attracted a large audience of all ages - a sandcastle competition that attracted many. Also, it seems that many people do help out in difficult situations. I was amazed to see two youngsters help a very frail old lady up to her feet when she had a fall and stayed with her till the ambulance arrived. There does seem to be a lot of good samaritans in this country, the malaysian student where I used to live would be in shock with good samaritans in Christchurch. No chance of thieving his wallet and stuff etc. Of course this could happen anywhere but I see it regularly here compared to seeing it very rarely in London, Bournemouth. Some areas of Sheffield perhaps
Safety - I certainly feel safer here than I did back at home. People have different circumstances and unfortunately when in London, I was concerned for my safety after a few knife threats by lowlife scum because I had a suit on. Yes you do hear of crimes happening here but its low compared to your every day life. I sometimes go for a beer or two at Merivale on Fridays and plenty get quite drunk but it seems here they still have their braincells functioning when drunk. That or there's a few people in the group that aren't and have braincells functioning. From what i've seen in Merivale, if someone has had too much, the night is over for their group. Also the chavs that enjoy hanging round McDonalds are not really much of a nuisance. You're less likely to have someone wanting to pick a fight or stab you here for the fault of a bank or the word conservative.
Now here's where it'll be wise to know where you are at the moment because I would definitely rather bring up my future young ones over here than in Barking. So what about quakes, they're not going to get stabbed out here for looking at someone. Or they're not going to go round rioting and getting loonies to make excuses for them because they're bored. There's plenty of sporting activites for kids to get into and I see an awful lot participating in sport. Rugby, Netball, Cricket and FOOTBALL (whack a kiwi if they say soccer), are huge here and lots of youngsters participate. More kids these days are participating in football than rugby now. Yes of course many take advantage in the UK, but certainly from my experience in Barking and the majority of East London - I didn't see parks etc full of kids participating in sport.
Lastly and a postive +1 from me is that there are no ambulance chasing scumbags round here. The only claims where compensation firms are working at the moment are for customers that are having difficulty with their home/contents insurance policies. In my opinion it's a major reason why car insurance is cheap here - no ambulance chasers. Ok its not mandatory which is stupid but the likelihood of someone delibrately crashing into you and then ringing up national accident helpine is very low.
It is a tough one and if your living in lovely areas of UK then it is a case of will you regret it if you don't move. I've been here 16 months and I certainly don't want to go back to England. I think the wife is getting used to being here permanently now, which is a relief as I thought she'd want to go home. Of course things are tough for us at the moment but things'll hopefully get better. Unless a huge change in culture happens in the UK and I mean a huge change, we're more than likely going to remain in New Zealand - either in Christchurch or Wellington. Don't ask why but I went away for 2 days work in Wellington and fell in love with the place. The most beautiful capital in the world in my opinion, beats Edinburgh and Dublin.
Good luck with whatever decision you decide to make. Just remember though, you can read every single horror story about the place but you might think differently. People have different opinions on everything but your experience will be different to everyone elses. You may fall in love with the place and be glad you made the move, or you may regret the move and go back. But at least you can say i've tried it and it won't be one of lifes regrets.
We are in Chch and love it here. Yes it has its moments with roadworks popping up everywhere for example! Agree with both positives and negatives from Tom1983.
Another positive I will add is the stunning scenery you have access to. All without going too far, getting stuck in traffic and then not being able to park. Just the other day the OH and I made our way out of Chch, drove for about 20 minutes taking a left here, a right there, another left (basically not planning the route!) and we ended up at a beautiful spot. Had a picnic, went for a walk and relaxed in the sunshine. And we had it all to ourselves
Although there is a huge rebuild going on I don't feel like it has stopped us doing anything. I can still go grocery shopping, go to the mall, get to work, go out for drinks or socialise in general, go to the park, go for a walk, pop to the bank or library etc.
I wish you luck with your decision. I know it can be difficult when you have posts from people saying it's a mess and then posts saying it's great! One thing you could do is come out and see for yourself on holiday and go from there.
Feb 12th 2013, 8:49 pm
#123
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 167
Re: Cost of living.
Hi
Saw a very interesting article on Cambell Live last night. Comparison shop done at Countdown in Birkenhead and Tesco in Kensington. Total for UK was GBP 68.41 (NZ$128. 88) NZ $200.30.
Saw a very interesting article on Cambell Live last night. Comparison shop done at Countdown in Birkenhead and Tesco in Kensington. Total for UK was GBP 68.41 (NZ$128. 88) NZ $200.30.
Feb 12th 2013, 8:50 pm
#124
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 586
Re: Cost of living.
Is countdown the equivalent to tesco?
Feb 12th 2013, 9:06 pm
#125
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 1,111
Re: Cost of living.
As I always expected, we're getting ripped off. And lets be right, Tesco's in Kensington won't be anywhere near as cheap as an Asda up North.
Feb 12th 2013, 9:14 pm
#126
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Oct 2007
Location: In a darkened room somewhere.............
Posts: 34,072
Re: Cost of living.
Sorry, just passing through from the Canada forum, as you were.........
Feb 12th 2013, 10:02 pm
#127
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: New Plymouth
Posts: 210
Re: Cost of living.
I didnt like to say as it is a long time since we got insurance in the UK but I didn't think it seemed the any cheaper here for insurance.
Feb 12th 2013, 10:07 pm
#128
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: New Plymouth
Posts: 210
Re: Cost of living.
Barnsleymat, as some will point out on here it is less a case of being ripped off and more to do with the economy of scale. Although I do think that in many cases we are being blatantly ripped off.
But the economy of scale argument is a red herring for those people trying to work out how far their wages will go when they move here and whether they will be financially better or worse off living similar lifestyles.
For us the truth is that we are worse off than we were in the UK, but we budget much harder, shop around more (especially supermarkets) and have managed to keep our heads above water, just about.
I'm still waiting for that long list of items/services that are cheaper here......
But the economy of scale argument is a red herring for those people trying to work out how far their wages will go when they move here and whether they will be financially better or worse off living similar lifestyles.
For us the truth is that we are worse off than we were in the UK, but we budget much harder, shop around more (especially supermarkets) and have managed to keep our heads above water, just about.
I'm still waiting for that long list of items/services that are cheaper here......
Feb 12th 2013, 10:10 pm
#129
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,213
Re: Cost of living.
Car insurance in the UK will largely depend on where you live.
I don't have a car just now, but I had a 2007 Ford Focus for a little while. My address in London quoted insurance around £800. In fact, 2 months after renewing a policy I moved less than 2 miles down the road and got a £150 rebate.
Were I still living at my parents (in Hampshire) the insurance quote was around £350.
I don't have a car just now, but I had a 2007 Ford Focus for a little while. My address in London quoted insurance around £800. In fact, 2 months after renewing a policy I moved less than 2 miles down the road and got a £150 rebate.
Were I still living at my parents (in Hampshire) the insurance quote was around £350.
Feb 12th 2013, 10:25 pm
#130
Account Closed
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 755
Re: Cost of living.
Not a patch near the equivalent of Tesco
Tesco - gigantic superstore that has heavily expanded into plenty of markets other than food. Huge range of electrics, clothing, and the tesco direct are all focused on household
Countdown - just a food shop with probably half an aisle of other products. The one at Moorhouse avenue has half an aisle where the odd item of clothing, the odd DVD is etc. The supermarkets here are not a patch on the quality that the likes of Tesco, Sainsburys and dare I say it Asda (vomits)
What's Waitrose like these days? I would say NZ supermarkets are similar to Waitrose in only selling food products and some other general household/baby products. I cannot see any supermarket moving to new markets to attract more customers over here.
Price wise, more expensive than Marks and Spencer but not a patch on the quality. I understand some of the pricing (especially with products imported from countries other than Australia and the Pacific Isles). But when there's products sorted at home, that's when I question the pricing. How the flying roger can NZ lamb be cheaper in Blighty than over here in New Zealand? Just doesn't make sense (even with economies of scale).
As for the insurance argument - it all depends on the area. A poster mentioned about car insurance and yes it's far cheaper for me too - but my last place of habitat was in East London - and the driving there is a billion times worse than the driving standards in this country.
But things like travel insurance - far more expensive over here and only insured for the time you're away. Contents understandably is a wee bit more expensive, health insurance was usually a benefit from a company etc.
As for what else is far cheaper over here, i'm struggling to think of many. Bar petrol and city centre parking, errrrrr??????
Tesco - gigantic superstore that has heavily expanded into plenty of markets other than food. Huge range of electrics, clothing, and the tesco direct are all focused on household
Countdown - just a food shop with probably half an aisle of other products. The one at Moorhouse avenue has half an aisle where the odd item of clothing, the odd DVD is etc. The supermarkets here are not a patch on the quality that the likes of Tesco, Sainsburys and dare I say it Asda (vomits)
What's Waitrose like these days? I would say NZ supermarkets are similar to Waitrose in only selling food products and some other general household/baby products. I cannot see any supermarket moving to new markets to attract more customers over here.
Price wise, more expensive than Marks and Spencer but not a patch on the quality. I understand some of the pricing (especially with products imported from countries other than Australia and the Pacific Isles). But when there's products sorted at home, that's when I question the pricing. How the flying roger can NZ lamb be cheaper in Blighty than over here in New Zealand? Just doesn't make sense (even with economies of scale).
As for the insurance argument - it all depends on the area. A poster mentioned about car insurance and yes it's far cheaper for me too - but my last place of habitat was in East London - and the driving there is a billion times worse than the driving standards in this country.
But things like travel insurance - far more expensive over here and only insured for the time you're away. Contents understandably is a wee bit more expensive, health insurance was usually a benefit from a company etc.
As for what else is far cheaper over here, i'm struggling to think of many. Bar petrol and city centre parking, errrrrr??????
Feb 12th 2013, 11:11 pm
#131
.
Joined: Jun 2010
Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
Posts: 2,744
Re: Cost of living.
I've had a total of three high street parking fines in 18 months. Each one for $12, that's about 6.00GBP. So, to date, parking fines are cheaper !
Agree with other things being not being cheaper though. Don't quite get the car insurance thing. Our car insurance is the same or dearer than Britain.
It makes me wonder what gold plated salaries people come to New Zealand for just to end up living like average New Zealanders. Oh that's right. The majority of ex-pats don't come to NZ to be ordinary. They come to live like ex-pats.
Agree with other things being not being cheaper though. Don't quite get the car insurance thing. Our car insurance is the same or dearer than Britain.
It makes me wonder what gold plated salaries people come to New Zealand for just to end up living like average New Zealanders. Oh that's right. The majority of ex-pats don't come to NZ to be ordinary. They come to live like ex-pats.
Last edited by Snap Shot; Feb 12th 2013 at 11:18 pm.
Feb 12th 2013, 11:34 pm
#132
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: New Plymouth
Posts: 210
Re: Cost of living.
"They come to live like ex-pats."
LOL - brilliant!
I lived like an ex-pat for 2 years. No rent (on a 4 bed apartment), no utility bills, free gym facilities, free swimming pools, subsidised restaurants ($6 for a 3 course meal), $20 to fill the tank on a 5.6 litre 4x4, free flights home, free health care and insurance, free schooling and a tax free salary!
And the bank gave me a diners card for free so I visited dozens of first class lounges all over the globe, getting pissed and fat for free!
So, not quite the same as my lifestyle here. Coming back was a bit of a reality check!
On the downside I had to live in Qatar which is even more boring than Bennydale.
LOL - brilliant!
I lived like an ex-pat for 2 years. No rent (on a 4 bed apartment), no utility bills, free gym facilities, free swimming pools, subsidised restaurants ($6 for a 3 course meal), $20 to fill the tank on a 5.6 litre 4x4, free flights home, free health care and insurance, free schooling and a tax free salary!
And the bank gave me a diners card for free so I visited dozens of first class lounges all over the globe, getting pissed and fat for free!
So, not quite the same as my lifestyle here. Coming back was a bit of a reality check!
On the downside I had to live in Qatar which is even more boring than Bennydale.
Last edited by AndyEvs; Feb 12th 2013 at 11:36 pm. Reason: edited
Feb 12th 2013, 11:51 pm
#133
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2009
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 1,111
Re: Cost of living.
CountUp is like a Spar or a Co-op with Harrods prices.
My wife fell for this one the other week.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...A5D95E3A25.jpg
My wife fell for this one the other week.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...A5D95E3A25.jpg
Feb 13th 2013, 12:05 am
#134
She'll be right
Joined: Sep 2012
Location: Near the beach, NZ
Posts: 1,498
Re: Cost of living.
NZ I was quoted the same but in dollars
Feb 13th 2013, 12:13 am
#135
She'll be right
Joined: Sep 2012
Location: Near the beach, NZ
Posts: 1,498
Re: Cost of living.
Nope!
There is much more competition in the UK between supermarkets, which partly makes the prices lower. There's ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose and Iceland (if you can count that!) In NZ there is New World and Pak n' Save but they are owned by the same company and then Countdown (which is Australian and therefore bound to be a rip off). Also, NZ adds 15% GST on to food, whereas the UK do not add on VAT, so it is unlikely to ever be cheaper in NZ. I also find fruit and veg to be over priced in supermarkets in NZ so I buy it from the local farm or market, which works out on par with UK prices and is of much better quality than what I have bought in UK supermarkets.
I feel the food in NZ is of much better quality in general - meat, fruit and veg included.
There is much more competition in the UK between supermarkets, which partly makes the prices lower. There's ASDA, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose and Iceland (if you can count that!) In NZ there is New World and Pak n' Save but they are owned by the same company and then Countdown (which is Australian and therefore bound to be a rip off). Also, NZ adds 15% GST on to food, whereas the UK do not add on VAT, so it is unlikely to ever be cheaper in NZ. I also find fruit and veg to be over priced in supermarkets in NZ so I buy it from the local farm or market, which works out on par with UK prices and is of much better quality than what I have bought in UK supermarkets.
I feel the food in NZ is of much better quality in general - meat, fruit and veg included.